you gave me forever
by sketch the stars
Summary: and their story, just like every other tragic romance, ends with death. / jily / for HPFC!


**notes | **this is for the** taylor swift appreciation competition,** the **ultimate het love competition, **the **angst-fluff juxtaposition challenge, **the** flower language challenge **(lily),& the** hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry competiton/challenge **(potions & astronomy) on HPFC.

this is AU-ish, at least the beginning is. please don't forget to review; concrit is welcome, not to mention appreciated. :)

[prompts used for the hogwarts challenge/competition; night, marriage, teacher, energy, meaning (astronomy); story, society, temperature, area, safety (potions)]

by the way, i don't own anything. not taylor swift's song lyrics, not the quote james said, not the last thoughts of lily evans —i own nothing.

* * *

**you gave me forever**  
james/lily

/

_this night is sparkling, don't you let it go_  
_i'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way_ _home_

/

Their story begins with a dance.

Lily Evans has never liked dances. They were just so awkward for people like her. Every single time Hogwarts decides to throw a dance, she always ends up in the corner, gingerly drinking her cup of Sprite, and trying not to watch all the grinding going on in the middle of the dance floor (this society was really messed up, nowadays). She's a wallflower, but being a wallflower has its perks, sometimes.

This dance is no different. She's in the middle of her fourth year as a Gryffindor at Hogwarts; it is a week before Christmas —also the day before everyone leaves to go home for Christmas. Lily is staying, though. She vows never to go back to that place, because what was even the point, when her sister hates her?

She glances around the room, looking for a teacher, any teacher, to stop this craziness. Most of them were drinking and roaring with laughter at jokes that weren't even funny; at least that's the conclusion Lily draws from observing their actions for a few minutes. It seemed as if the walls were caving in on her, trying to push her near the center of the room, where the party was centered. But that is the last place she wants to be; everyone knows Lily Evans is not a party person.

Lily sighs, shifting in her too-tall heels uncomfortably. She just wants to get out of this place. All the heat and energy in this room is suffocating her, ripping out her lungs. How high was the temperature in here? One particular boy with hazel eyes and glasses meets her gaze. The corners of his mouth curl into a smile as he whispers have we met? She blushes, shaking her head; she can't help but think that this guy is super cute.

She notices that he is beginning to make his way towards her. Butterflies knot up her stomach, making her feel this sudden urge to puke (which can be either good, or bad). Her palms are sweaty and her breath is shaky —gosh, is this what it feels like to have a crush on somebody? "Um, hi," the boy says shyly (so boys were capable of being shy), "I'm James Potter. And you are . . . ?"

Lily wants to answer with some witty comeback that's always used in the books and movies; for example, she could say, "not interested," "in a relationship," or anything else. But the thing is, she's single and definitely interested. "Erm, I'm Lily Evans." She brushes her red hair out of her face, making sure her bright green eyes are visible to this James boy.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lily," he says courteously. She blushes deeply, turning her head away. "Will you dance with me?"

Lily turns her head back and raises an eyebrow, trying to think of a hidden meaning in all of this (no guy in their right mind would want to dance with Lily Evans), but then realizes that there is no hidden meaning. He's asking her to dance with him. A boy is asking her to dance with him. James Potter is asking her to dance with him. "S-s-sure," she stutters, taking his outstretched hand.

During the entire dance, she struggles not to step on his feet, but he's helpful, comforting, even. His arms guide her through the dance floor, which is unfamiliar territory to her. He squeezes her hand gently, reassuring Lily that everything will be all right, that she should just relax and trust him —which she does. She lets herself go in the music; it's a slow song, which is perfect for a first dance. All her fears and everything else going on at the dance seem to fade away, leaving no trace whatsoever.

Just like that, her night is turned upside down. It's like it's even sparkling. It's all a freefall from here; it's like nothing else matters except for the two of them, no one else is visible to Lily's eyes on that night. She is a princess, he is her Prince Charming, and this is the first page of their fairytale. It all begins on that night, that one night when she feels infinite. Something stirs inside her, a sensation that she's never felt before, and, as cliché as it sounds, she knows this love is real.

Before she knows it, Professor (Headmaster) Dumbledore is telling everyone that it's time to go back to their respective houses, and that the dance has come to an end. James lets go of her hand slowly Lily is suddenly brought back into reality; after all, she can't stay in that dream-like stance forever. "See you around?" he says, smiling. She nods slightly, unable to do or say anything else. With one last smile and a wae, James Potter exits the room, his eyes never leaving her face, making her feel incredibly self-conscious.

A few minutes later, Lily finally realizes that she's supposed to be going to bed; her face is as red as a tomato as she ascends the countless steps on the way to her dorm in Gryffindor tower. She doesn't think that she can stop smiling —the night is just too perfect, and now it's over, sadly. As she settles down for bed, she looks at the stars twinkling in the moonlight, and prays for James to not be in love with someone else.

Lily gets next to no sleep that night; she spends the entire time thinking about him and whether he loved her or not. The possibility of him being in love with someone else shatters her heart. The unanswered question that she is too afraid to ask still lingers on her lips —who does he love?

If this was what being in love feels like, Lily decides that she likes it.

( the beginning of a beautiful relationship . . . that crashes to an end )

/

"Lily Evans, I can't imagine spending my life without you. I want to be with you. Forever." James gets down on one knee, pulling a ring out from behind him; Lily almost faints with happiness.

"Yes, yes, yes!" she cries. "Forever. I'll love you forever."

"Forever," he repeats, as he pulls her into a kiss.

/

The wedding commences soon after, and things are perfect, at least up until one point in time. On Halloween in 1981, tragedy strikes. The two of them didn't expect it at first. It starts out as a very, very normal day. They are playing with Harry, their one year old son when You Know Who comes barging in, shattering everything he touched, making everyone in the house tremble with fear.

Everything stops suddenly, and begins to move in slow motion. Lily bites her tongue to stop from screaming once she sees his haunting face. How is he even in her house? Didn't they put the Fidelus Charm on it? A million questions race through her mind, jumbling up everything, making her brain not operate correctly.

James shoves the baby into her arms and screams, "Take Harry, Lily. And run. Please. As Nicholas Sparks once said, The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. And that's what you've given me. That's what I'd hoped to give you forever. Just remember that I love you, and will always love you. Run, Lily. Run."

She stares at his messy black hair and hazel eyes for the last time, and tries to run to safety as if her life depends on it (it kinda did, really), her red hair all tangled up and getting in her face, holding on to Harry for dear life. Moments later, a flash of green light catches her eye, immediately followed by a piercing shriek that echos throughout the house.

That was it. James Potter's life was over. She didn't even get to say goodbye. She never even let him know exactly how much she loved him. Flashbacks of that first night they have together come back to her. A single tear trickles down her cheek, but she ignores it, because she has to run. Her only goal, right now, is to save Harry. The least she could do is let her son's legacy carry on —she didn't want to admit it, but she wasn't making it out of this house alive.

She locks herself in a room with furniture blocking the door and the area near it, placing Harry in the cot. Lily tries to breathe normally, but honestly, no one would be able to breathe normally if they were in her situation. She squeezes her eyes shut and tries not to puke, or to make any sound at all.

All her attempts to stop You Know Who are futile —seconds later, the door is swung open; broken pieces of wood crash to the floor. "Step aside," You Know Who demands. Lily lets out a little squeal, but makes no effort to move. He repeats his request several more times. Lily still doesn't budge. She has to do this for Harry. For James. She will never stop protecting Harry, even if it costs her her own life. Lily's a completely mess right now —she trying to be strong for Harry and not cry, but she's breaking down.

And then there's a flash of green light, and everything fades to black.

( He was my white dove for a soldier, ever marching as to war. He would give his life to save me, and stands guarding at my door. And really, that's all I could ask for. We had the world to ourselves, and every single moment counted. No, our marriage was not in vain, because we'll be together. And he'll never know that I was enchanted to meet him, but he gave me forever, and that's all that really matters —Lily Evans' last thoughts )

James Potter and Lily Evans didn't exactly have a happily ever after, but that didn't stop them from having a beautiful romance. Their romance was as if it was ripped straight from the pages of a fairytale; everything was absolutely, positively magical and just flawless, up until October 31st, 1981. Because nothing ends with happily ever after, but it's still worth trying. And, their story, just like every other tragic romance, ends with death. ( long live them & their story. )

They gave each other forever.

/

_i'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
i was enchanted to meet you_


End file.
